With the arrival of the bonkers, Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG imminent, we wondered how long it would take before a tuning house got hold of an A-Class and beat Mercedes-Benz to it with their own hot hatch interpretation.
Brabus have done such a thing with a car scheduled to make a public showing at the Essen motor and tuning show. More than this, a car like the Brabus tuned A250 gives us a good insight into what AMG might do themselves when it comes to finalising the hotted-up A-Class. Brabus’s extensive tuning programme consists of enhancements to the aerodynamics, wheels, suspension, engine and interior.
A high-grade polyurethane bodykit beefs up the exterior look, with front and rear spoilers, as well as a wider rear bumper featuring a diffuser-like insert that houses four stainless-steel exhaust exits. A set of mean looking wheels, are offered in a selection of 17-, 18- or 19-inches sizes, which are also in five different designs.
Complementing these are sport springs that lower ride height by about 25 mm, a combination that Brabus calls ‘optimal’ between sporty handling and ride comfort. Brabus ‘Mastik’ and Alcantara leather upholstery spruces up the interior. In addition, almost any combination of colours and designs you can imagine can be added, together with the two-tone, stainless steel door sill plates and aluminium pedals.
Unfortunately, Brabus hasn’t released the specific details of engine tuning, but says that the programme is in the final stages of development and will be available for both petrol and diesel models. We’ll be sure to bring you more details when we have them, keeping in mind AMG engineers say they can screw 261 kW (350 hp) and 450 Nm of torque out of an A250, which produces 155 kW ‘as is’ from its 2.0-litre engine.
